TravelPod Member ReviewsHyatt Regency Sarasota

“ Well located hotel ”

A good, modern hotel where I received an upgrade to a deluxe room with a view over the bay

This review is the subjective opinion of a TravelPod member and not of TravelPod.com.

Historical Traveler Reviews Hyatt Regency Sarasota

Nice Stay

from pokerman

Stayed at the Hyatt on Boulevard of Arts located in downtown Sarasota from December 23rd 2005 through the 26th. Specifically stayed in room 826. I believe that all even numbered rooms have an unobscured view of Sarasota Bay and the park area in front of the hotel. All uneven numbered rooms have a view of the marina and the pool area. There is ample free parking in an attached parking garage. Valet service is available for around $15 a day but is totally unnecessary. Check-in (and service overall) was friendly and efficient. Hotel was remarkably quiet despite its size. Two restaurants and three bar (one pool bar) areas are part of the hotel. The pool area is very nice for children and adults alike. The rooms are well maintained despite the age of the hotel. Paid $149 a night and it was well worth it. I am a discerning traveler and I can't find one negative thing to say about this hotel.

Have been loyal guests

from aerofl

My husband and I stayed at the Hyatt Sarasota for one night the first week of December. We are extremely familiar with this hotel as we live just about an hour south of Sarasota and stay at this hotel anywhere from two to six times a year. Generally, we use this hotel for a one night stay when we attend a concert at the adjacent Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall or when spending an evening with friends or relatives in the area. I would guess that over the past 15 years we have stayed here at least 25 times.

Until the construction of the nearby Ritz Carlton, we would only stay at this hotel and considered it one of the best in Sarasota (if you weren't looking for the beach experience). In recent years, there have been extensive renovations at this hotel. The rooms have been refurbished, a large ballroom and adjacent meeting rooms have been constructed and the pool has been completely reconfigured. Having said that, there are problems the Hyatt won't be able to overcome without a teardown and complete reconstruction.

First, the location is excellent - near the concert venue, the GWhiz Children's Museum, not far from Selby Gardens and the spectacular Ringling Museum. Downtown Sarasota and its many shops and restaurants is a short drive, or, on a beautiful day, a leaisurely walk from the hotel. However, the beautiful views of Sarasota Bay have been obstructed in recent year by the comstruction of the Ritz Carlton and Residences and the adjacent Beau Ciel condominiums. Sarasota seems to be all about high rise construction these days and we fear that those treasured views of the bay will become less and less available.

The design of the hotel seems to be stuck in the '70's and '80's, which may ultimately prove to be insurmountable. Many rooms have balconies and we prefer those rooms. The lobby is small, though perfectly acceptable for the size of the hotel. We have always found the staff to be unfailingly welcoming and eager to please. The rooms are average for a business hotel. The bathrooms are a real throwback, though. There is only one sink outside the toilet/shower area and nice closet space in the hall inside the door to the room. However, the shower area is incredibly small and, as another TripAdvisor reader said, you almost have to swing your feet over the tub if you want to close the door to use the toilet. It's a design feature and unless the hotel would close for a complete gutting, I don't see how this problem can be fixed.

We love the location when we attend concerts just across the street at Van Wezel - valet the car after dinner and just meander 2 minutes over to the concert. We often would like a nightcap after the concert, and on this occasion, were disappointed to find the lobby bar closed. There is a bar in the Boathouse restaurant downstairs, situated on the marina, but that seems to be more of a sports bar than a place to enjoy a quiet drink. We've eaten at the Boathouse on many occasions and consider it to be more of a "fried grouper sandwich", waterview casual restaurant - something not we'd choose to patronize on a regular basis. On the Sunday night we stayed, Scalini, their more upscale restaurant, was closed for a wedding reception, so other than the Boathouse, there was nowhere to go in the Hyatt for food or drink.

For our usual concert/dinner nights in Sarasota, we always stay at the Hyatt. Although we have stayed at the Ritz on five or six occasions, for a bed, shower and quick breakfast the next morning we aren't willing to pay double the tariff to stay at the Ritz down the road. However, even this Hyatt in the Spring, our "season", can charge rates upwards of $400 a night. There is a small Starbucks "cart" in the lobby for breakfast as well as a breakfast buffet in Scalini's, though this particular morning there were very slim pickings for pastries at Starbucks.

Don't get me wrong - if you search the internet for good rates, the Hyatt is definitely a place I would stay. In fact, we will be staying there four more times in the next two months after attending concerts in Van Wezel. However, Sarasota is undergoing explosive growth and residents and visitors are demanding more and more highend stores, restaurants, hotels and services. We like the location, the employees are great, the recent renovations are a step in the right direction, but I wonder if they can survive given the increased competition.

Not Bad, Been Better

from pepperwhite

I just got back from a 3 nite stay at the Hyatt, Overall I would say it is a really nice hotel. My Husband goes to Sarasota for work every year, and we stay at the Hyatt. This was our 4th visit. The rooms are very nice, bed is comfortable and the view is wonderful. If you can, get a room with a balcony. The pool area is very nice as well.

The one thing that was lacking on this trip was the service. On the 2nd day our room was never cleaned, I didnt so much care about the bed not being made, but we had no clean towels. So, we went down to the front desk and told them, the response was "So do you want us to send up some towels" no I apologize no we'll send someone right up.

oh and a pack of gum was 2.04 at the gift shop.

Don't bother staying here

from anonymous

We stayed in the Hyatt Sarasota recently for a conference. We had heard so many good things about Sarasota, most of which are true. The Hyatt is not one of them. The rooms have apparently been recently upgraded - god know what they were like before. the bathroom was so small I had to sit on the loo with my legs up in order to shut the door. There were lovely polystyrene tiles on the ceiling and the carpet smelt. I changed rooms only to find they all look the same.

The Boathouse restaurant is so dated and the food is lousy - as is much of the service. The only good thing about the hotel is the new swimming pool. That really was lovely. We will be going to Sarasota again. But next time we will stay on Siesta Key with it's white sand beach and relaxed atmosphere.

Rooms a little tired, a bit like the staff

from anonymous

I stayed for a week in the Hyatt in May 2005 for a conference. The rooms are large but desperately need updating. I loved the 1980s, I really did, but I don't need to live through them again and again.

And were people much smaller back then? The ensuite bathrooms in the Hyatt are so tiny it's difficult to get in and close the door behind you.

The view must have been great before they built the Ritz Carlton. Now you just see the marina, but no more.

The hotel restaurant, the Boat House, is not good. I was disappointed with the service and the quality of the food.

There are a lot of great places to stay and eat in Sarasota, so give the Hyatt a miss

Great location and service

from bycpyt

I was just there in March with my wife and sister and enjoyed the hotel. We didn't eat at the hotel, but felt like they treated us very well.

Their fitness room is very very nice. Each machine has its own LCD screen so you can watch TV with headphones (which are provided). We even saw Doris Roberts in the elevator (the mom from Everybody Loves Raymond).

The pool is very pretty but the weather wasn't good so we didn't go in.

The location is great for Sarasota, right in the heart of all the major roadways. We loved the Mote Aquarium, the Ringling Museum, and enjoyed some great restaurants.

Great location and fitness equipment

from anonymous

Hotel was in a great location and has a wonderful pool and hot tub. The workout room has updated equipment--including headsets and TVs on every individual cardio machine and new LifeFitness weights. Nice bar out back.

The only downside: the hotel blowdryer takes forever to work. And despite the renovations, the hotel fees a little bit old.

Not impressed

from peamomma

Stayed at the Hyatt Sarasota between Christmas and New Years. Great location, but not a well kept hotel. Rooms were middle of the road. Housekeeping was lacking-room was not especially clean (it looked like they never washed the bathroom floor, and did a poor job on the tub). Restaurants were disappointing-especially for a Hyatt in a resort area. We ate at the Boatyard the first evening. The food and atmosphere were more like a pub than a restaurant. The food was mediocre. I had a grilled chicken salad-which gave me food poisoning about 3 hours later. There are definitely better restaurants in Sarasota (try Barnacle Bills). They do have a Starbucks "bar", inside the breakfast restaurant, which is only open during the breakfast hours. However, they charge $2.50 for a tall coffee of the day, and it was lukewarm.

Since we got the room free with my points, I can't complain too much. If we had to pay for the room, it definitely wouldn't have been worth it.

Nice location- but service is lacking!

from anonymous

I have stayed at this property a number of times. It is in the best Sarasota location and has a great view of the water and all the speedboats during events. The Ritz is across the inlet. The pool is one of the best, no doubt. Also, the Boat House restaurant (detached and among all the boats) is very cool.

The problem is with the actual hotel services. For example, room service closes promptly at 10:00, even on weekends. ????? Many, many, many people have complained. Management won't listen. They could not care less because people are still making reservation. One night, I had to actually order a pizza for delivery because it was like 10:10pm and room service was closed. The front desk would not allow it to be delivered. I had to get fully dressed and come down to the lobby. The staff was very rude as well.

Bottom line: great location, great restaurant, great pool.... but poorer management than you may find at the typical Days Inn. If you can deal with the lack of service, this is a good place to stay.

Great pool

from anonymous

Nice rooms - nothing exceptional, but clean and comfortable beds. Pool was great - especially for toddlers & kids - it is zero depth on one end and has a swim under waterfall on the other end. Even the hot tub has a waterfall (although in my opinion it was too much - there was really nowhere to sit in it that you didn't get splashed or a least spritzed in the face). Be sure and check/ask for all the specials.

After digging a bit on their website - I got a $116 AAA rate that included the breakfast buffet. The first "special" rates I got were more like $160. Nice location - not on beach - but close to St. Armands Circle, Mote Marine, and the kids museum (GWiz) is right next door (we didn't go to it). One negative was that we asked for a crib. They told me on the phone that it was full size crib, but it was instead a pack-n-play with a sheet that was too small for it. As an aside, my advice when traveling with babies/toddlers is to always bring a crib sheet with you. Other hotels we've stayed at have used a folded up regular sheet for a crib sheet.

... it. I was all ready to sign up for it initially. During the drive home and the discussion back and forth I realized I come here not only for the lack of winter but the beach and being outside, looking for the birds, etc. The w/c house. Paul and I both liked this house when we found it ourselves during an open house. Very open floor plan. When you walk in the front door you immediately have a view of the lake behind the house. The entire back of the house has a huge ...

... off to find a Michael's for some supplies to craft with all these shells. So far I've covered a wooden letter C with shells, made a picture frame for all 4 kids and built a tree with shells. And there are still plenty of shells left. We have signed up to rent a little house here for next January. 3 br 2 bath with a pool and fenced in yard. I am surprised that Paul is willing to come back but I think he knows he now has some tennis friends, the ...

... be ok. Maybe I can survive without being within walking or biking distance. Which takes us to the circles... Absolutely nothing has become clear about the future, other than I would be happy to be gone from Ohio during Jan and Feb. Some days it seems renting is the perfect answer. Other times it sounds wonderful to have our own place. There are several places we considered buying very seriously, but never felt sure it was the ...